We bring you the top headlines about the new integrated casino and resort in Osaka, from MGM and Orix.
Construction Begins on Japan’s First Casino Resort in Osaka
— Date: April 24, 2025
— Author: Kantele NEWS / news Runner, https://www.ktv.jp/
— Construction officially began on Osaka’s IR project on Yumeshima, with Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama attending the groundbreaking ceremony. The approximately 490,000-square-meter development will include a casino, international convention facilities, hotels and major commercial facilities, with opening targeted for autumn 2030.
Can Osaka’s ¥1.51 Trillion Casino Resort Become the Next Major Economic Engine?
— Date: January 5, 2026
— Author: Kantele NEWS / news Runner, https://www.ktv.jp/
— Osaka is moving ahead with an approximately ¥1.51 trillion IR development that aims to attract 20 million visitors annually after opening in 2030. Kansai TV examined whether the enormous project can become Osaka’s next economic driver after Expo 2025, while also looking at overseas examples where casino resorts have not necessarily generated substantial economic benefits for surrounding communities.
Osaka’s Post-Expo Yumeshima Transformation Takes Shape Around the Casino Resort
— Date: October 15, 2025
— Author: Nao Okita, https://www.ktv.jp/
— Following Expo 2025, attention has shifted toward the long-term transformation of Yumeshima, where the Osaka IR is scheduled to open around autumn 2030. The resort will include three hotels, a large theater and international convention facilities, while the casino itself will account for only around 3% of the total area; improved transportation access remains one of the major challenges facing the island’s redevelopment.
Osaka Looks to Singapore for the Key to Making Its Casino Resort a Success
— Date: January 5, 2026
— Author: ABC TV, https://www.asahi.co.jp/
— Kansai business leaders and Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura discussed how the region can maintain economic momentum after Expo 2025, with the planned IR playing an important role in Yumeshima’s future. The program examined Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands as an example of casino-led economic development and considered what Osaka will need to make its own integrated resort successful when it opens in 2030.
Osaka Moves Forward With Post-Expo Development as IR Construction Advances on Yumeshima
— Date: June 3, 2026
— Author: ABC News, https://www.asahi.co.jp/
— Osaka City is moving ahead with plans to redevelop approximately 42 hectares of the former Expo site on Yumeshima into an international tourism hub. Immediately north of the former Expo grounds, construction of the integrated resort containing Osaka’s casino is already progressing toward its planned autumn 2030 opening, making the IR a central part of Yumeshima’s post-Expo transformation.